The Team
Brian O'Leary
One of the original members when the show was formed in October 2020, Brian fell in love with the NFL and the NY Giants experiencing his first game on Channel 4 Super Bowl XXI dating back to 1987.
Brian has attended numerous NFL games over the years in the US along with the International games and 3 consecutive Super Bowls as part of the continued content provided by the show.
In the day job Brian works within the commercial team for open eir.
Conor Brophy
This will be Conor’s 2nd season as lead host having joined the team in June 2023. Conor has a wealth of hosting experience working previously for RTE and Newstalk.
Conor also found love with the NFL during the original coverage in the late 80’s with his love for the Chicago Bears dating back to their victory in Super Bowl XX in 1985.
Conor was onsite in Las Vegas as part of the coverage and content produced by the team at the most recent Super Bowl.
Conor currently heads up the strategic communications team for Teneo Ireland
Shane Brennan
This will be Shane’s second full season involved in the show having joined last year focusing primarily on podcast content, initially with one-to-one interviews with beat writers. Shane is now one of the key contributors who broadcasts year-round, with an added focus on social media.
Shane’s love for NFL began through watching Sky Sports coverage. He pinned his colours to the mast when becoming a New England Patriots fan after spending time living in Massachusetts, and has since provided coverage at NFL games in London and Germany.
Shane is a professional journalist who writes, podcasts and produces with the Irish Independent and sister titles.
Noel Dowling
Having been a co-host on the Irish Bears Network since 2021, where he interviewed numerous beat writers and NFL players, Noel has made the move to join our team this offseason.
Noel’s love of the NFL similar to Brian & Conor also dates back to the 80’s.
He’s an avid Chicago Bears fan since Super Bowl XX. Noel’s in depth knowledge of all the teams was a key reason for the change allowing for him to cover the league in its entirety.
Noel works as a Senior IT Support Technician at Orange Business Services
Ciarán Boyle
Ciaran originally from Dundrum Dublin is now based in St Augustine, Florida. Having grown up in Ireland Ciaran moved to New York in the early 2000’s where he found love with the New York Giants.
Having worked briefly with the show last season where he was mainly involved in the instant reaction to Sunday’s action, Ciaran is now an integral part of the team with vast knowledge of the NFL and in particular his in depth detail to the college game.
In the day job Ciaran is an Operations Manager for Inpatient Services
Craig Rigden
Craig joined the team at the start of the 2023 season managing our graphic design/visual displays and editing of various different content pieces. Craig is also actively involved in another podcast as producer and on air talent of the Big Blue UK & Ireland Podcast.
Craig’s love for the NFL started back in 2007 when his roommate suggested he watch the Superbowl with him. In 2014 he chose the New York Giants as his team and has seen them multiple times in both the UK and in New Jersey.
Whilst committing time to both our content and his own podcast his professional role involves working as a Junior Database Administrator for Amex GBT